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Gorbash
2009-03-03, 03:42 PM
I'll be playing in Age of Worms AP soon, and I had idea for my character to be Half-Orc Cleric of Hextor (LN). I have an excellent idea how to run him, how will he act, some cheesy Space Marine one-liners he'll use etc etc, yet I have bloody no idea what will be his background story! No matter how much I brainstorm this thing, I just can't think of something viable. The only guideline I have is that I have to end up somehow in a small, pathetic mining town of Diamond Lake, the rest is up to me to think of how he got there. Any suggestions perhaps?

I was thinking perhaps him being prophecised to become a Chosen of Hextor (due to him having just awesome scores), or something along those lines, but I got stuck there since I had no idea why would he end up being a miner.

Tam_OConnor
2009-03-03, 05:03 PM
Option one: Prophecy: Hextor has commanded you to slay heretics in his name, directing you towards Diamond Lake. Now, you just have to find them...

Two: Conversion: Hextor requires hardy and vicious souls. Where better to find converts than a rough and tumble mining town? (You're a low ranking priest of a strictly hierarchal religion. It figures that you'll get the assignments to little podunk towns.)

Three: Simple and inelegant: You were passing through town, following the voice of Hextor, when your coin purse and horse were stolen. You need to become financially solvent somehow. The priests of the Invincible One won't kill themselves.

Zaq
2009-03-03, 05:33 PM
-An adventurers' raid on your village, led by a paladin of Heironeous, devastated your tribe and your family. Only thanks to the quick thinking of a few clerics of Hextor did you manage to escape in time, and you've felt indebted to them ever since (or perhaps you want to be able to do the same for others).

-You actually discovered devotion on your own, being a godless cleric drawing strength from your own ideals. One day, you met a cleric of Hextor and, after discussing philosophy with him for a while, you discovered that your beliefs were very similar. You liked the sound of being part of a larger order, and having access to the scriptures and teachings of Hextor sounded very appealing since you essentially believed in what he stood for anyway, so you gladly joined up.

-Most orcs in your tribe never learned how to read, but your father, having already lost four sons and two daughters to raids and raidings, believed that a good education is the way to survive and thrive in the world. He taught you to read with a book of Hextor's teachings, which you took to heart.

-You were cornered by someone (possibly a bandit, or an adventurer, or whatever) and were about to be killed. Desperate, you prayed to every god you could think of, when a hail of arrows came over a hill and turned your foe into a pincushion. Three of them stuck in his mailed hand, looking exactly like Hextor's holy symbol. Having both seen the power of Hextor and feeling a debt to him, you devoted yourself to his teachings and became a cleric.

-You grew up in human lands, and there were no other half-orcs around. You were the strongest kid in your neighborhood, but you were always picked on and ganged up on for being an orc (oh, the names they called you!). You spent a lot of your time hiding, reading books or training in self-defense (okay maybe also a little bit also to get even, but you called it self-defense) away from those cruel humans. Having seen that the kids couldn't beat you in a fair fight (it was always five, six, eight, twelve on one... you could take down three or four easily, but there were so many!), you learned to shun the chaotic side of warfare and drifted towards rigid order and strength. It was a small step from there to end up at the temple of Hextor...

Any of those work for you?

Myrmex
2009-03-04, 01:44 AM
Wandering sell sword, and you've heard that this mining town could need a strong arm, a sharp blade, and a ruthless demeanor. Your devotion to Hextor is somewhat contractual- he has seen you through countless battles, and you will continue to serve him so long as he guides your flail true.

shimmercat
2009-03-04, 09:29 PM
I've played a LN half-orc cleric. I figured I'd throw out his backstory; maybe it will give you some ideas.

He was the son of a human prostitute who after she gave birth to him, dropped the baby off at the church of the LN god and skipped town. He was raised by the church clerics and grew up serious and very pious.

He became a member of the order when he hit puberty, and soon learned that he had a talent an inquisitor. Inquisition was one of his domains. The game started at a high level (I think it was 12th...) and he was the church's High Inquisitor by the time the PCs got together.

He left the church to look for his mother. I don't remember his reasoning other than just that he wanted to find her. It gave him a good reason to be in some odd, adventurey places.

He was a bit of a hardass (inquisitor, duh XD) but he had a big soft spot for monstrous humanoids who were really trying to do the Right Thing and be lawful or good. This was important because the game had a lot to do with goblins, some of which were good.

Just throwing that out there. I quite liked the character concept. :3